THE world’s largest international trade fair in Shanghai, China, has opened. Running for six months and with an estimated 100 million visitors due to attend, including 100 heads of state, the World Expo 2010 on the theme ‘Better City, Better Life’ will feature discussions on urban planning and sustainable construction.
Lafarge are the largest suppliers to the Expo and a partner of the French Pavilion, which has been designed and constructed by architect Jacques Ferrier using Ductal, the Lafarge group’s ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete, and PLAtec plasterboard.
Lafarge’s support of World Expo 2010 reinforces the company’s aim to be a key player in sustainable construction, offering construction methods with a reduced environmental footprint. In a dedicated area inside the pavilion, the group will present innovative, environmentally friendly solutions, adapted to the problems faced by cities around the world.
Lafarge have also supplied materials to other buildings at the Expo, including 510,000m2 of plasterboard used in 17 other corporate and national pavilions, including China’s.
Expressing his delight at the group’s support for World Expo 2010, Jeremy Greenwood, managing director, Lafarge Readymix concrete, said: ‘While the Expo takes place in China, the issues being discussed resonate around the world, including in the UK. Sustainable construction – how we build and live in the towns and cities of the future – continues to be a live and important debate in the UK. There’s no doubt in my mind that innovations such as Ductal concrete have a hugely important part to play in delivering practical, affordable and durable solutions to the challenges these issues raise.
‘It is vital that, when discussing the sustainability of construction methods, materials and technologies, we consider the whole life cycle of a building. This includes the materials made to use it, the methods employed to build it and, importantly, the efficiency of the building during its use, as this accounts for 80% of the building’s environmental footprint.’
